Therapy In A Box
by Paige Terner
Summary: There is a problem with our preferred pair of partners. Can they work through it with a little outside assistance? Rating is for future chapters.
1. Chapter 1

**Title: Therapy In A Box**

**Summary: There is a problem with our preferred pair of partners. Can they work through it with a little outside assistance?**

**Disclaimer: I don't own most of the characters I write about. If you recognize a name, odds are it isn't mine. But seeing as this is a fanfic website, you probably knew that already.**

**Thanks again to Sunshiny-Kate, the best beta a writer could ask for!**

* * *

><p>"Just for the record, I still think this is a horrible idea." Beckett crossed her arms as she leaned into the cushions behind her on the couch.<p>

"Then why did you agree to it, Kate?" Dr. Burke asked.

"Because you wouldn't stop suggesting it." She replied.

"I didn't force your hand. This was ultimately your choice."

"I know." She huffed out a loud sigh. "But that doesn't change the fact that I don't think any good will come from it."

"And how do you feel about it, Mr. Castle?" Burke shifted his gaze to the other end of the couch.

Castle glanced at Beckett before he answered.

"I'm optimistic."

"And why is that?" Burke prodded.

"Well, I've been wanting to explain myself to Beckett, but she won't take my calls or answer my messages. I even mailed her a couple of letters, but I don't know if she read them." He looked at Beckett, but she refused to look back, so he continued. "The text she sent me with your address and a time was the first contact I'd had with her in three weeks."

"If I may ask, Mr. Castle, why didn't you just go see Kate at the precinct?"

"Please call me Rick." Castle said with a smile, which quickly faded. "I didn't go because she told me to stay away."

"Yeah, like that's ever stopped you." Beckett spoke up as she turned slightly to face him. "Since when do you listen to me? Since when do you actually do what I want?" Her voice grew increasingly bitter with every word. "Since when did you think of anyone but yourself?"

Castle made no attempt to hide the hurt on his face. Burke cleared his throat and both Beckett and Castle looked at him.

"Those are harsh accusations, Kate."

"They aren't accusations when they're true." She said.

"Come on, Beckett!" Castle exclaimed suddenly. "You're being incredibly unfair about this."

"Unfair?" Her arms flew apart and she pointed at him. "You betrayed my trust. Again. You lied to me. Again. You kept digging into my mother's case. Again."

"How is trying to solve her case for you selfish?" Castle argued.

"The fact that you're doing it yourself and keeping me out of it. Again."

"You want to know the truth?" Castle chuckled angrily. "I have been selfish."

"Write that down, Dr. Burke." Beckett interrupted. "The great Richard Castle has owned up to his wrong doing for once in his life."

"Let him finish, Kate." Burke said simply.

Beckett's mouth closed into a thin line, but she turned back to Castle and waved mockingly for him to continue.

"Thank you." Castle began. "I've been selfish because I can't stand to lose you again. I can't stand to watch you die again. I could solve this case so much faster with your help, but I can't let you touch it." He took a deep breath. "I'd rather spend a hundred lifetimes as nothing more than your partner, than go through the rest of this one knowing I could have protected you but didn't."

"It's not your job to protect me, Castle." Beckett said frustratedly. "I'm the cop, remember?"

"You said it yourself that saving each other and being there for each other is what partners do." He rebutted. "So how is protecting you not my job?"

"Look, forget the semantics." Beckett snapped. "The fact is you continue to treat my mother's case like it's your own personal puzzle, and you refuse to realize how much it hurts me every time I find out you've stuck your nose in it again and kept me out of it."

"Okay, let me stop you both." Burke interjected. "Arguing like this isn't going to get you anywhere."

Castle and Beckett stared at each other for a few moments before turning their attention to Burke. Beckett sighed and recrossed her arms and Castle leaned forward, propping his chin on his hands.

"I want to talk about that night three weeks ago." Burke said to Castle. "When Kate found out you were still investigating her mother's murder."

"I've already told you what happened." Beckett said.

"I know. But I would like to hear Rick's version."

Beckett sighed yet again but didn't argue. Burke nodded to Castle, and he sat back upright before speaking.

"After Mother finished her encore performance of her one-woman show, she and Alexis went upstairs and Marcus left. Beckett and I stayed on the couch for a while, talking about the case." He cleared his throat. "We of course didn't mention the fact that she'd grabbed my hand."

"It was just a friendly, supportive gesture." Beckett huffed out.

"Well, we can just add it to the list of things we can't talk about." Castle replied shortly. "Anyway, I excused myself for a moment and told her to make herself at home. When I came back out of my bedroom, she was in my office, perusing my literature collection. We talked about books and comics for a few minutes before she started yawning. It was incredibly late, so I convinced her to stay in the guest room." He paused and glanced at Beckett again. "About an hour later she came back to the office, though I still don't know why."

"I couldn't sleep." Beckett offered. "I wanted to get a book."

"Well, I hadn't been able to sleep either, and when she came in I was going over her mother's case." Castle continued. "I had everything up on the screen." He sighed. "There was an exchanging of angry words, she went back upstairs to change and stormed out with a serious threat of bodily harm if I showed my face at the precinct. That's really all there is to it."

He leaned back, his story finished. Beckett said nothing, so Burke took control of the conversation.

"Rick, you mentioned a list of things of things that you couldn't talk about. Care to elaborate?"

"No, he doesn't." Beckett spoke first.

"No, you don't." Castle argued. "I'd love to get them out in the open, but you won't even let me knock on the door."

"I think it would be beneficial to the both of you to talk about them." Burke pushed.

"What good would that do?" Beckett asked.

"There is some obvious communication issues going on between the two of you." Burke answered. "Perhaps discussing some of these things here, in neutral territory, will allow you both to get some things off your chests."

"We aren't here for relationship counseling, Dr. Burke." She retorted.

"Then what are you here for, Kate?"

Beckett opened her mouth to reply, but closed it quickly when she realized she didn't have an answer. She took a deep breath and let it out in a loud burst of air. She looked at Castle, and the longing in his eyes nearly broke her heart. What she saw in the deep blue orbs wasn't a sexual longing, but an intense desire to have everything be okay. He was making a desperate, silent wish for them to conquer this. She knew the feeling well, because it was the true reason she'd agreed to have him join her in therapy.

"Okay." She relented. "Let's talk then."

"Really?" Castle asked with a ghost of a smile.

"Really." She answered.

"Rick, since you brought it up, why don't you go first?" Burke offered. "What is one thing that you want to talk about but haven't been able to?"

"It's not so much one thing." Castle started. "It's the near-death experiences, the hand-holding, the flirting, the kiss, the-"

"Slow down, Castle." Beckett interrupted. "We've only got thirty more minutes."

Her tone was slightly annoyed, but there was an unmistakable hint of something that Castle couldn't quite put his finger on. Amusement? Maybe. He shrugged it off, too happy to be finally having this discussion to care about the nuances of her inflections.

"Well, I don't know where to start." Castle continued after a moments thought. "Beckett, why don't you tell me something?"

"Like what?"

"Anything you want to say."

Beckett swallowed nervously. There was so much she wanted to say, and although she trusted Burke and felt comfortable sharing things with him, some of the thoughts in her mind were meant only for Castle. But as she sat staring at her partner, a sudden fervor consumed her, and she could not still her tongue any longer.

"I hate what we've become." She blurted out. "I hate how much we deny our feelings, especially me. I despise the fact that after failing to tell you how I felt before you got back with Gina, I have only attempted to tell you again when I thought we were going to die. I should have been fighting for us, but instead I have been fighting against us." She paused to take a breath. "I'm disgusted with myself for letting my past get in the way of my future, the future I want to share with you. And the thing I hate most of all, my biggest regret, is that I have been lying to you."

"Lying?" Castle asked when she stopped to take another breath.

"About the day I was shot. I remember it all." She looked down. "I never forgot."

She brought her gaze back up to meet his and her heart skipped a beat when she saw the hurt burning in his eyes.

"So the whole summer? All this time since? You've known?"

"Yes." She answered simply. "And I am so sorry. I didn't know what to do. I was dealing with so much."

"I could've helped you get through those things. I could've been there for you." He stopped and stared at her thoughtfully for several seconds. "Will you tell me something?" He waited for her to nod. "Why did you lie?"

"I told you. I didn't know what to do."

"Didn't know what to do with what?"

"The knowledge that you loved me."

"Was it that hard to believe?" He asked softly.

"No. I never doubted it." She answered quickly. "I just didn't want to run you off by trying to make something work when I wasn't ready."

"Yeah, you said as much on the swings the day you came back to me." He sighed. "Look, I'm sorry, but I think I need to go." He stood up. "Dr. Burke, thank you for helping Kate. I'm glad someone can."

He started for the door but Beckett grabbed his wrist.

"Castle, wait. Please."

Before Castle could say anything Burke spoke up.

"Rick, you may not see it this way, but good progress was made today. For both of you."

Castle smiled weakly.

"True as that may be, I already know what I want."

"Would you be willing to see me again, with Kate, if that was what she wanted that?" Burke asked.

Castle locked his eyes onto Beckett's question filled ones.

"Always."

He tugged his wrist gently from her grip and left the room. He made it to the elevator at the end of the hall and pressed the button before he heard the door he'd just left open and close again. A few moments later he sensed Beckett at his side.

"Can I ride down with you?" She asked tentatively.

"It's a free country." He said with a shrug.

"Castle, I-"

"No." He interrupted. "Not right now."

Beckett didn't reply, and both were grateful when the elevator arrived. The doors slid open and Castle stepped inside first. Beckett followed and pushed the button for the first floor. The doors shut silently and the motor started them on their downwards journey.

They'd traveled past two floors when Beckett reached out and pressed the emergency stop button.


	2. Chapter 2

**Title: Therapy In A Box  
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**Summary: You can't hide from each other in a elevator.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own most of the characters I write about. If you recognize a name, odds are it isn't mine. But seeing as this is a fanfic website, you probably knew that already.**

**Thanks again to Sunshiny-Kate, the best beta a writer could ask for!**

* * *

><p>The grinding of brakes filled their ears and the floor below them stilled.<p>

"What did you do that for?" Castle demanded.

"I'm not done talking." Kate replied simply.

"So you trapped us in here?"

"Yes. I'm through playing games. We are going to work this out."

"I told you I didn't want to talk right now."

"Well, we're going to anyway." She crossed her arms defiantly.

"Why is it when I want to talk, it's no dice but when you want to talk, I have no choice?" He asked.

"I don't know. I just can't let this go on any longer."

"Who's being selfish now?" Castle said, his tone harsh.

"Castle, I'm sorry." Beckett dropped her arms back to her sides. "I'm truly sorry. For lying, for getting mad at you, for shutting you out, for everything."

Castle sighed and leaned against the wall. He studied her for several moments before speaking.

"I knew."

"Knew what?" Beckett asked.

"That you remembered."

Beckett mirrored Castle's position, leaning back against the wall opposite from him.

"How?" She whispered.

"I mean, I assumed." Castle elaborated. "You never forget things about the victim. At least, not while an investigation is open. That's another reason you're so good at your job. You focus on the victim, you fight for them. You remember them. So why would that be any different when you're the victim?" He stopped, but just as Beckett was about to speak, he continued. "And you can't tell me that you didn't at least suspect that I was still looking into your mother's case. You know me too well."

Before Beckett could reply a woman's voice came through the speaker located beneath the panel of buttons.

"Hello, is anyone in the elevator?"

"Yes. This is NYPD Detective Kate Beckett. My partner and I are in here."

"Are you both okay?" The voice crackled.

"We're fine." Beckett answered.

"Good. We have mechanics on the way. They should have you out of there soon."

"Thank you." Castle said.

"My name is Patsy. If you need to talk to me, press the call button."

"Will do." Beckett responded. She heard a click and waited a few seconds. "Can you hear me?"

"Yes." Castle replied.

"I was talking to Patsy." Beckett said with an eye-roll.

"Oh. I guess she can't hear you."

"I guess not."

"So, are you going to answer my question?" He asked as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans.

"Which question?"

"Did you seriously not have even the slightest idea that I was still investigating your mothers case?"

"Oh. That question."

"Yeah. That one."

Beckett took in a slow, deep breath and held it in for several moments before letting the air flow out silently.

"I hadn't really thought about it." She began. "But deep down I knew. I may have chosen to ignore that knowledge, but honestly you're right. I know you too well to think you'd ever stop."

"Then why are you so mad?" Castle asked.

"I'm not mad." She bit her lip. "I'm just...I don't know...overwhelmed."

"What is so overwhelming about it? You need answers to be happy, I want you to be happy, so I'm looking for answers."

"Why do you do it?" Her voice was so low that he almost didn't hear her.

"I just told you. So you can have answers. So justice can be served."

"Not the investigation, Castle."

"What then?"

"Why do you still love me?"

Castle's brow furrowed in confusion.

"What kind of question is that?"

"I push you away, I make you wait, I lie to you. How could you still love me? Doesn't it frustrate you? Make you want to move on?"

Castle pulled his hands from his pockets and sighed. He wanted to wrap her in his arms and show her just how much he loved her, but he didn't know how she would react.

"Kate, I wish it hadn't taken the fear of losing you to make me say it, but I meant it. I loved you then, I love you now, and I'll love you for the rest of my days. No matter what." He didn't give her a chance to speak as he continued. "Am I frustrated? Yes. I want to be the one you come to with your burdens. I want to stop hiding my love for you. I want to be your one and done, and I don't care how cheesy that sounds." He paused for a quick breath. "But with regards to your last question, I don't want to move on. I will never want to move on. I love you, Kate. I love everything about you."

Beckett's eyes were filled with all sorts of tears. Happy tears, from hearing Castle reconfirm his love. Sad tears, for the hurt she'd caused him. Hopeful tears, for where this was going to take them. Frustrated tears, for the fear still lingering in her mind. She reached up and wiped them all away, delaying their escape for the time being.

"I love you too."

It was all she could say without choking up, but it was all that was needed. They both took two steps forward and found their way into each other's arms.

Beckett put her forehead to Castle's neck and she could feel his pulse tapping out a frenzied rhythm that matched her own racing heartbeat. Her arms snaked around his sides and she spread out her fingers to cover as much of his back as she could reach.

Castle wrapped one arm around her shoulders and the other around her waist. He laid his head on top of hers, desperate to be touching as much of her as he could. He pulled her to him gently, erasing the little remaining space between them.

A few minutes passed in silence as they simply enjoyed their close proximity. Beckett was the first to move, but she didn't go far. She angled her head just enough to be able to press her lips to Castle's slightly stubbled jawline. Two feather-light kisses later, Castle couldn't stand it any longer. He turned and met her lips with his own, and wasted no time asking for entry with the tip of his tongue. Beckett happily obliged.

Beckett may have smelled like cherries, but she didn't taste like them. She tasted like coffee and jellybeans, and Castle couldn't get enough. He brought the hand that was on her shoulder up to the back of her head and wove his fingers through her gloriously soft hair. Using the silky strands, he tilted her head even more and deepened the kiss. He ran his tongue over the roof of her mouth, delighting in the full body shudder he felt from her as he did so.

The last time they'd kissed, Beckett had enjoyed it much more than she would ever admit. But she had been distracted and unable to fully take in the glory that was Castle's mouth. She was making up for that now by taking note of every lip touch and tongue scrape. When he stroked the roof of her mouth, she nearly threw him to the ground right then and there. He was just plain delicious, and she never wanted to stop kissing him.

They both felt a jolt and their eyes flew open.

"We're moving." Castle said without removing his lips from hers.

Beckett chuckled and pulled back a few inches.

"Thank you, Captain Obvious."

"You're welcome." He grinned.

He let go of her and grabbed her hands, guiding them off of him so he could step away. He moved around her, and she turned to watch him, unaware of his intentions. As suddenly as the elevator had started back up, it stopped again. He turned so that she could see his finger still on the emergency stop button. She couldn't have stopped the laugh that burst from her lips if she'd wanted to. He returned to her, standing as close to her as he could without touching her.

"So." He waggled his eyebrows. "Where were we?"

Beckett bit her lip and leaned into him.

"Right about here, if memory serves me right." She said.

He put his arms around her and smiled.

"More like here."

"Yeah. Here is good." She replied as she placed her arms around his neck.

She kissed him first, but then they became one. Neither could tell where they stopped and the other began. Castle slowly walked her backwards until she bumped into the wall. She hissed in pain and he pulled away and locked his eyes to hers.

"What's wrong?" He asked worriedly.

"There's a bar here. It's digging into my hips." She told him.

Without a word Castle reached down to her thighs and lifted. She jumped instinctively and wrapped her legs around his waist. He leaned her back into the wall so it was supporting some of her weight.

"Better?"

"Much." She replied. "But I may have a bruise back there later."

"Well, I suppose I'll have to kiss it and make it better then, won't I?"

"I suppose you will."

This time Castle initiated the kiss, but he left her lips far too quickly for her liking. He immediately found a spot on her neck that made her squirm, and he used her trapped position to his advantage. He took her skin between his teeth then soothed it with a kiss. He sucked, hard, and she bucked her hips involuntarily against him.

"Did you just give me a hickey?" She asked breathlessly.

"Yes."

"You'll pay for that."

"Good."

He didn't say anything else. He couldn't. He'd lost all coherent thought when she leaned down and took his earlobe between her teeth, mimicking his recent actions on her neck. He grunted when the soft sucking became too much and forced his lips back onto hers. His hands gripped her thighs a little tighter and she moaned into his mouth. The sound was music to his ears and he kissed her even harder. She pulled his bottom lip into her mouth and bit down. It was his turn to moan.

"Are you two okay?"

Castle and Beckett froze, neither sure where the voice had come from.

"Hello?" Patsy crackled again. "Detectives? Are you okay?"

Castle huffed out a quiet laugh.

"Yes. We're fine." He said.

"Good. I heard moaning. I thought you'd been hurt."

"Oh." Castle winked at Beckett. "I bit my lip when the elevator stopped."

Beckett buried her face into Castle's chest so Patsy wouldn't hear her laugh.

"Okay. I'm sorry it stopped again. It should be running again momentarily."

"Thank you." Beckett said after lifting her head.

"Sure thing." Patsy said.

They heard the tell-tale click that signaled they were alone again. Castle put his forehead to Beckett's and they both smiled. Just as Patsy had promised, the elevator came to life again a few seconds later.

"Castle?"

"Yes?"

"Wanna put me down now?"

"No."

"Fair enough." Beckett laughed. "I rather like it here. But I think you should put me down anyway."

Castle stepped back and removed his hands from her thighs so she could lower her feet to the ground. He stuck his bottom lip out and she kissed it. He pulled back and glanced over his shoulder at the panel. Beckett reached for his hand and let him wrap his large fingers around her long, thin ones.

"No." She said softly, making him look back at her. "Don't press that button again. I want to get out of here."

"Tired of me already?" He joked.

"I'm tired of you being in all those clothes."

She laughed again at the goofy expression that came across his face. The way he ran his thumb over her hand told her it was a mutual feeling.

"I came here in a cab." He stated. "You?"

"I drove."

"Okay."

"So. Your place or mine?" Beckett asked.

"Alexis and Mother will both be home."

"My place it is then."

"Kate." He squeezed her hand and his face grew solemn. "We don't have to jump into bed right away. I want you to be ready for the long haul, because that's what I want. I've waited this long. I can keep waiting."

She smiled at him and lifted her free hand to cradle his cheek.

"Castle. I am ready. I've been ready for a while now. I just wouldn't let myself admit that. I love you. And I can't keep waiting."

Her gentle kiss told him that she was telling him the truth. When the bell dinged to announce their arrival at the first floor they separated their lips and Castle led her out of the elevator.

"Detectives?"

Beckett looked towards the less mechanical yet familiar voice. A white haired, rotund woman was making her way towards them.

"She's the detective." Castle said, pointing at Beckett.

"Oh." Patsy replied. "When she said she was stuck with her partner, I just assumed you were a detective too."

"Nope." Beckett said. "He's no cop. But he's definitely my partner." She smiled and squeezed his hand.

"How sweet." Patsy cooed. "I just wanted to apologize again for the elevator. We still don't know what happened, but I'm glad you're both okay."

"Nothing to fret over, Patsy." Castle said in a calming tone. "We are more than okay."

"Good." The older woman said happily. "You two have a nice afternoon then."

"We will." Beckett replied. "Thank you for all your help."

With that Patsy smiled and left the way she came. Beckett started for the exit, pulling Castle behind her. Her car was parked halfway down the block, and it didn't take them long to get to it and climb in.

Beckett put her key in the ignition and cranked the car. It had never had problems before going into the river, but ever since the CIA guys had worked their magic on it it seemed to start up almost too fast. She smiled at Castle, released the parking brake, and shifted into drive.

As she looked over her shoulder to check the traffic her cell phone rang. Both of them groaned as they recognized the opening chords of 'Every Breath You Take' as Gates' ring-tone. Castle had set the song as her ring-tone and even though Beckett had pretended to be mad, she thought it was hilarious. She picked up the phone and answered it, putting it on speaker so Castle could hear.

"Beckett."

"We have a new body, Detective. I've already sent Ryan and Esposito. I'll text you the address after we hang up."

"Yes sir. Thank you."

They hung up and a few moments later the text came through. Beckett sighed and looked at Castle.

"I guess I forgot to mention I was on call."

"That's okay. I can take a cab home."

"You don't want to come with me?" Beckett asked.

"Can I?"

"Of course you can." She grabbed his hand. "I've really missed you and if you want to come back, I want you to."

"What about Gates? I bet she likes me gone."

"I think even she misses you."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Without you there she doesn't have anyone to be mad at all day."

Castle laughed and kissed Beckett's hand.

"Well we can't have that. Let's go."

Beckett nodded and let go of his hand so she could concentrate on making her way into the heavy flow of vehicles. After several minutes of waiting to leave her parking space, she grew frustrated. She reached out for the siren, creating a tweeting effect by flipping it on and off. Several more taxis passed by before a woman in a gray van saw that she was trying to get out and stopped. She pulled out in front of it and threw a thankful wave over her shoulder, then set off towards the crime scene.


	3. Chapter 3

**Title: Therapy In A Box**

**Summary: It's the last chapter. Stuff happens.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own most of the characters I write about. If you recognize a name, odds are it isn't mine. But seeing as this is a fanfic website, you probably knew that already.**

**Thanks again to Sunshiny-Kate, the best beta a writer could ask for!**

* * *

><p>The first few minutes of their drive were spent in silence, so Beckett jumped when Castle started laughing.<p>

"What's so funny?" She asked with a quick glance in his direction.

"We are."

"What do you mean?"

"We haven't seen or spoken to each other in three weeks, then I come to therapy with you and we end up making out in an elevator."

"I see your point." Beckett chuckled.

"Dr. Burke is good." Castle said.

"Well, Burke had nothing to do with what happened in the elevator. That was all us."

"I like the sound of that."

"Of what?"

"Us."

Beckett smiled and took her right hand off the steering wheel and reached for Castle's hand. He laced his fingers through hers and she rested their joined hands on the console between them. They fell back into silence as Castle lazily ran his thumb over the smooth skin of Beckett's palm.

They reached their destination about twenty minutes later. By then Castle's slow, gentle strokes had Beckett all worked up. Her mind thought back to that day in her apartment when he'd made similar motions on the other side of her hand. If the man could have her breathing a little faster with just a thumb on her hand, she wasn't going to survive this relationship. But since she had to go somehow, she figured that naked in a bed with Richard Castle would be a better way to leave this world than most.

Her face crinkled up when she realized she called what they had a relationship. It surprised her how easy it was to say it, even if it was just in her head. It had just been her natural thought. Wasn't that what they had though? Maybe it had taken a new direction now, a fantastically wonderful direction, but hadn't they been in a relationship of sorts for years now? They had fights, they made up, and they were always there for each other in so many ways. Weren't these the things that couples did?

"A penny for your thoughts?" Castle asked, bringing her back to reality.

"I was just wondering what we are."

Castle sighed and studied her before answering.

"We are who we are. Partners." He cocked his head to the side. "With benefits."

Beckett laughed as she pulled her hand away from his and slapped him on the arm. When she started to turn away Castle grabbed her wrist. He gently tugged her to him and kissed her softly. When they broke apart she locked her eyes onto his.

"I love you, Rick."

"I love you too, Kate."

They shared a smile and then he let go of her so they could get out of the car. When Castle joined Beckett on the sidewalk he put a hand on her back, high enough to not be inappropriate, but low enough to make her want it lower. She sucked in a breath and looked up at him.

"Castle?"

"Yes?"

"Let's solve this case really fast, okay."

"Okay." He smiled and shifted his hand half an inch further down her back. "But Detective Beckett, I must implore you to stay professional about this. We are at work now, and must not let our feelings interfere with our jobs."

Beckett rolled her eyes and turned away so he wouldn't see her smile. She was actually glad that he removed his hand, because the heat building in her abdomen was getting hard to suppress. They went around the corner of the building and saw the yellow tape across the doorway. They went in, nodding a greeting at the uniformed officer watching the entrance.

"Beckett!" Esposito called out. "Over here."

She waved and headed towards him. She noticed a surprised look on his face and followed his gaze behind her to Castle. She turned back to Esposito, who had been joined by an equally surprised Ryan.

"What do we have, guys?" She asked, ignoring their questioning looks.

The two detectives glanced back and forth between Castle and Beckett a few times, then looked at each other before turning their attention back to Beckett.

"Is that a hickey?" They asked her at the same time.

Beckett smiled and raised her eyebrows.

"You didn't answer my question." She said.

"You didn't answer ours." Ryan pointed out.

"I asked first."

"Okay." Ryan opened his notebook. "Drake Foster was a theatre critic. He was found by the dog-walker when he was returning Foster's pooch. The kid's name is Simon Mink."

"Did Mink see anything?" Beckett interrupted.

"No." Esposito picked up where Ryan had left off. "He picked up the dog, took him for his normal thirty minute walk, and then came back and found Foster dead on the floor."

"COD?" Beckett asked.

"Don't know yet." Lanie called from the next room, where she was examining the body. "I'm about to take him to the morgue."

Beckett followed her friend's voice until she found her crouching down over the victim.

"Hey, Lanie."

The medical examiner looked up at Beckett and smiled. Then her eyes flicked to Beckett's neck and when Castle walked in Lanie shook her head and smiled again.

"Welcome back, Castle."

"Thank you, Lanie." He replied. "It's good to be back."

"I can see that." Lanie said before looking back to the body. "Anyway, preliminary COD is strangulation, but I'll know for sure after I get a look inside."

"Okay. Thanks." Beckett said before she went back to the other room. "Ryan, have you and Esposito canvassed for witnesses yet?"

"Yeah. So far no one saw anyone coming or going other than Mink."

"Where is this kid?" Beckett asked.

"He left." Esposito explained. "We questioned him and told him not to leave town in case we needed to talk to him again."

"Let's head to the precinct then." Beckett said. "We need to find next of kin and start going through Foster's financial and things, look for motive and anything else to put us on the killer's trail." Ryan and Esposito nodded and Beckett started for the door, but stopped after a few steps. "Oh, and to answer your question, yes, it's a hickey."

She left the building and Castle started to follow her.

"Yo, Castle." Esposito said. "Hold up."

Castle turned back around and saw both detectives holding out a hand, fingers up. He smiled and fed their birds. They returned his grin and he trotted off after Beckett.

When he caught up with her at the car, she surprised him by throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him hard. Castle pulled away first.

"Not that I'm complaining, but what's up with the PDA?" He asked. "I mean, you actually admitted to the guys that you had a hickey."

Beckett smiled and kissed him again, this time soft and quick. Then she brought a hand from behind his neck and caressed his cheek. The love in her eyes gave Castle the answer he needed and he didn't give her a chance to tell him what he already knew. He just leaned in and kissed her back, letting her know that he understood with his gentle touch.

* * *

><p>"What is he doing here?" Gates demanded.<p>

Beckett and Castle hadn't made it ten steps off the elevator before the captain had stormed out of her office.

"He's working a case, Sir." Beckett offered simply.

"Who authorized him to come back?"

"Sir, Castle has a signed contract with us. He can come and go as he pleases, so long as he doesn't hold the department liable for anything."

Gates crossed her arms and stared the writer down. Castle smiled at her, but she didn't return the expression.

"If I hear a single theory about the CIA or ninja assassins, I will tear up that contract."

"Yes Sir." Castle nodded. "I'll play it straight."

"We shall see." Gates said before turning on her heels and striding back into her office, slamming the door behind her.

"You're right." Castle laughed. "I think she missed me."

Beckett laughed too and then they headed for her desk. Castle saw his chair still where it had been for nearly four years and it made him smile. He said nothing as he sat down and pulled out his phone. He started playing while Beckett pulled up the records they needed on her computer so they'd have something to put on the murder board. Everything was right with the world.

* * *

><p>A few hours later the foursome were up murder creek without a lead paddle. Foster's murderer had been sloppy and they had fingerprints from his neck. Unfortunately, the prints weren't in any database. They hadn't found anything unusual about Foster, he had no family, and they couldn't find any reason that anyone would have wanted him dead. Nothing seemed to be missing from his home, and they were out of ideas. The only thing they knew to do at this point was to talk to Mink and see if he'd lied about seeing anything. Which is why he was currently sitting in the interrogation room.<p>

"Espo, Ryan, why don't you two take point on this one. Castle and I will watch from observation."

They nodded and went into the room housing the sweating teenager and Castle followed Beckett into the viewing room. He shut the door and stepped to the window, where she was watching the already unfolding interrogation.

"Why didn't you want to question him?" Castle asked.

Beckett didn't answer him. Not with words anyway. She turned to him and pressed her body to his before kissing him. She controlled the kiss, her movements relaxed and languid. He responded by wrapping his arms around her waist and hugging her like he would never let go. When she needed to breathe, Beckett detached her lips from his and smiled up at him as she reached around and placed her hands in his back pockets.

"Oh." Castle chuckled and raised an eyebrow. "I get it. Detective Beckett, you're hot for me."

Beckett didn't want to give Castle the satisfaction of telling him that he was right, so she used her still pocketed hands to press him harder to her. She ground her hips against his and the moan that flew from his throat made her lower abdomen burn deliciously. Her whole body felt as if it were on fire, and it was invigorating.

Castle knew he was right, and he was grinning when he kissed her, but it faded fast as he became lost in her lips. Their tongues quickly began to get to know each other, and Castle learned that Beckett really liked biting his lips. He was growing fond of it himself. Each time she took hold of his skin with her teeth, she would follow it with a soothing kiss or lick.

They found a rhythm that allowed them to stay locked together, breathing in tandem. Their kiss grew in intensity and the exertion they were putting out actually had them both covered in a sheen of sweat.

Without breaking the kiss, Castle turned Beckett and pushed her up against the glass. He was becoming a big fan of walls. He ran his hands down her arms and took hold of her wrists. He pulled them up above her head and held them there, trapping her beneath him.

Soon they were both panting, their shared breathing no longer able to keep up with their passionate mouth-to-mouth explorations. Castle moved down Beckett's neck, kissing her hickey before continuing down to her collarbone. She showed her approval by lifting a leg and looping it around his knee. But as good as it felt, it wasn't what she wanted.

"Castle." She whimpered. "Come back up here."

He immediately obliged her request, and covered her lips with his again. Several more minutes passed before she tugged her arms from his loose grip and wrenched herself away from him.

She said nothing as she left the room, and a shocked Castle didn't know where she'd gone until he heard the door of the interrogation room slam open. Through the glass he saw her step up to the table. She stood between Ryan and Esposito and put her hands on the table, leaning down to Mink's eye level. Castle's view was undoubtedly the best.

"Listen, Mink." Beckett began. "You had to have seen the killer. And if you saw him, I guarantee he saw you. If he saw you, then he's going to want to protect himself. That means he's going to come after you. We can protect you, but only if we can catch him. So this is the last time we're going to ask you. Did you see anything?"

Mink squirmed in his seat and swallowed nervously. He blinked at Beckett several times and finally answered her.

"I saw him." He whispered.

"Can you describe him to a sketch artist?" Beckett asked.

Mink nodded and Beckett straightened up.

"Ryan, Esposito, get the sketch guy up here. Once he's done, get the picture out to unis and to the media. Then you can call it a night." She started for the door. "See you in the morning."

Before they could say anything, she walked back out of the interrogation room. She returned to the observation room and grabbed Castle by the hand.

"We're leaving, Castle. Right now."

"Where are we going?" He asked as he let himself be dragged towards the elevator.

"Home."

* * *

><p>"So." Dr. Burke began. "It's been a while since you've been here."<p>

"Yes it has." Kate agreed. "Nearly three years." She looked at Rick sitting at the other end of the couch and sighed, then turned back to Burke. "I'm glad you could see us today."

"Well, it was fortunate that I had an opening. How are things?" He asked Rick.

"Things are, well, they're-"

"They're fantastic." Kate offered.

"Fantastic is a good word." Rick said with a smile.

He reached across the back of the couch and tucked a few stray pieces of hair behind her ear. She leaned gratefully into his hand.

"And since the baby arrived?" Burke asked.

"Even better." Rick answered as he put his hand back down.

Kate nodded in agreement and smiled at her son, who was looking at her from his perch in Burke's arms.

"Well, Monty is a handsome young man." Burke said as he looked down at him.

"He takes after his father that way." Kate replied.

"Yeah, but he gets his everything else from Kate." Rick added. "Especially his bossiness."

He didn't try to dodge the playful slap that came his way.

"And what is Monty short for?" Burke asked them.

"Montgomery." Kate answered. "His full name is Rodger Montgomery Castle."

"That's quite a mouthful." Burke chuckled.

"Well, he's quite a handful." Rick explained. "So it fits."

Burke laughed and looked and Kate.

"Tell me about your new job."

"Being captain is different, but it's perfect for me." Kate told him. "It allows me to still have a hand in getting killers off the street, but not have to worry quite as much about not coming home." She smiled somberly.

"So you fulfill your need for finding justice without the mental burden of worrying about putting your son through what you went through?" Burke prodded.

"Exactly." Kate nodded.

"Well, it sounds like you two have everything figured out."

"Not everything." Rick said. "But we figure it out together as we go."

"But you're happy with that?"

"We are." Kate stated.

"Yeah, we are." Rick agreed.

"Good." Burke smiled.

Monty yawned loudly, and Kate glanced at her watch before standing up.

"I guess that's our cue. It's almost his nap-time anyway."

She took the baby from Burke and placed him in the car-seat carrier that had been sitting on the couch between her and Rick. Burke and Rick also stood up, and after shaking hands, Rick picked up the carrier. Kate hugged Burke and then picked up the diaper bag.

"I'm glad you got to come by and let me meet him. He's wonderful." Burke said as he walked them to the door.

"It was good to see you, Dr. Burke." Kate responded.

"It was good to see you two as well."

The couple left and Burke closed the door behind them. They reached the elevator and didn't have to wait long for it to arrive. They got in and Kate pressed the button for the first floor. About halfway down, she noticed Castle staring at the panel of buttons.

"What are you looking at, Rick?"

"That." He chuckled and pointed a finger at the emergency stop button.

"Don't even think about it." Kate scolded, but she had trouble hiding the smile that was trying to spread across her face. "We need to get Monty home."

"Yes ma'am."

He lowered his hand and took hold of hers. She squeezed gently and cleared her throat, trying to sound serious.

"You know, our shower is about the same size as this elevator. Maybe Monty will go down for a good nap."

Rick looked down at his son.

"Monty, you hear that? I'm going to need you to take a nice, long nap. Don't ask why though. It would scar you for life."

The brown-eyed infant cooed in response to his father's voice, and both Rick and Kate smiled. The elevator arrived at the first floor and they headed for the exit, hand-in-hand.

* * *

><p><strong>AN - Hope y'all enjoyed this story. I had fun writing it! Thank you for reading. Until next time, Paige**


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